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Friday, September 28, 2012

Since my email this morning I have had quite a few people enquiring about the MaTT 100 and asking what on earth it is. So here is a brief explanation:

MATES MaTT100

Very briefly, as Cher Vossberg put it, this race is a "bare-bones, old-fashioned" type of trail race with no hype. It is 100 miles (not kilometres) around, through and over the mountains of the Cape Peninsula all in one go, not a multi-stage / multi-day event. This is the inaugural event. So to test it out, 5 runners have taken on the route. They started this morning at 06h00 from Constantia Nek and will be finishing tomorrow, anywhere between 08h00 and 18h00 at Constantia Nek as well. The runners organise all of their own support.

For those who want to go and check out what these hard-core trail types look like, the aforementioned Cher and a host of others will be gathering in the Kommetjie lighthouse car park from 18h00 till about midnight tonight to welcome the runners through and do a safety check. So if you want to take along a picnic or a bottle of something nice and go and join them you are most welcome.

Then Jacky Meiklejohn says the runners will start finishing from about 08h00 tomorrow morning at the Constantia Nek Restaurant so people are encouraged to come and cheer them in. The restaurant opens at 09h00 and I can highly recommend the nice warm fire and the excellent draft beer they serve. Please don’t be shy about going along to show your support.

OTHER

Finally, if anyone is trying to contact me by cell phone or email regarding the run tomorrow or anything else and you don’t get an immediate reply, one of the reasons is that I am having endless hassles with the new cell phone and old iPad. I hate both of them………..A LOT. I have spent a chunk of the day walking between the iStore and Vodashop trying to get them sorted out, to little avail. I have exasperated staff looking at me like I’m an utter moron and should not own anything more complicated than an electric toothbrush (which I can, in fact, operate with a high degree of proficiency). Personally, I think they’re in league against me. It’s a conspiracy. Long story short, if you are battling to get through to me, there is a problem and I know about it. Not sure how this helps but I feel better for having told you.

******************** Nedbank Limited Reg No 1951/000009/06. The following link displays the names of the Nedbank Board of Directors and Company Secretary. [ http://www.nedbank.co.za/terms/DirectorsNedbank.htm ] This email is confidential and is intended for the addressee only. The following link will take you to Nedbank's legal notice. [ http://www.nedbank.co.za/terms/EmailDisclaimer.htm ] ********************

If anyone is still around to run, then this run is on. I know that it is school holidays so lots of people may be away. There is also the MATES MaTT 100 (which started this morning), the Matroosberg Trail Challenge and the TSiBA Education New Balance Trail Run Series race at Thelema. In terms of road races there is plenty on as well: the Whale Half Marathon in Hermanus and the Hewat 100 miler / 100 km / 10 x 10km events (I think this is the Cape Town Festival of Running). But if anyone is at a loose end, we will still run. 06h30 start from the Arboretum car park in Tokai Forest. Full details on http://vobtrail.blogspot.com/ .

This week’s run comes with the following “health” warnings:

1.I am afraid I am coming down with a bit of a cold and, being a guy, the extent of the sickness is being blown way out of proportion in a fruitless effort to solicit sympathy. But if I do happen to conk out on the first hill, the fate of the run and the route will depend on who arrives on the day and who can take over leading the run. Jane Holdcroft will be there but she is making a comeback from a running layoff and says she will be slower than me. I believe Ryan “Nasty Tartan Shorts” Wintle will also be there but he is from Jo’burg so I wouldn’t follow his directions. I am just not sure exactly how much “longer or faster” the group will be this week.

2.Secondly I urge you to read the crime report at the bottom of this email taken from the Constantia Hills Neighbourhood Watch website. It seems that violent crime has found its way to the Arboretum. So let’s be careful and extremely vigilant. We must stay in groups until this has been stamped out.

My apologies for misleading you on Tuesday. Apparently there IS a Table Mountain Trailers run on Saturday. There are just no emails going out because Peter is away. I am told it is starting at Constantia Nek. I’m afraid I can’t give you more details as I cannot get access to sports websites and blogs. To get the details, please check out http://vobtrailwrg.blogspot.com/ .

VIVOBAREFOOT MATROOSBERG TRAIL CHALLENGE

For those of you who can get out there, this is an events worth the effort of doing so. THE VIVOBAREFOOT MATROOSBERG TRAIL CHALLENGE is happening on Saturday 29 September 2012. This is the very first running of the event which previously had to be postponed due to extreme conditions. If you want to be part of this fantastic inaugural event then you can, enter on the day.

No run this weekend because Douglas is organising the MaTT100 and Mike O is involved in The Matroosberg Trail Challenge.

PAARL / WELLINGTON MCSA TRAIL RUN

Exciting new trail on the slopes of Klein Drakenstein Kop, Paarl area. A fun event hosted by the P/W Section, start and finish at the Section’s base camp, the River House, on Olive Glen Farm, Klein Drakenstein.

The 5km route follows a scenic figure-of-8 hiking trail, 35% on farm tracks and 65% on single tracks. Ascent 250m. The 8km route, does an extra loop at the top, ascent 500m, 18% on farm tracks and 82% on single tracks.

Resident was attacked in the Tokai Arboretum parking area on a recent Thursday evening. Resident was riding fast through the parking lot in the dark when he was suddenly hit in the face. As he staggered, not knowing what had happened, two coloured males accosted him and took his bike.

They both jumped on the bike and rode off down the road past the Manor House. Resident stopped a car that was driving up the road and the driver quickly agreed to give chase past the picnic area, but the thieves had already disappeared. Resident then went back to the security gate at Chrysalis Academy and with their help, alerted the police, armed response and the neighborhood watch. The security guards reported that they had spotted these 2 guys walking up the road and had been monitoring them due to their suspicious demeanour, but the point of the attack was beyond their range of view.

On subsequent inspections of the area, resident has found a thick, solid branch about 2.5m long and believes thieves could have been hiding behind the first big tree on the left as he come down through the gate and then whacked him with that branch.

Apart from 4 stitches on his chin, resident is fine and understands that SAN Parks want to write a full report.

For what it is worth, for all the eyes out there, the bike was a White Giant Anthem 29er MTB. There are very few of those white ones in the country so it will always be easy to identify.

If anyone has seen a bike matching this description, please reply to this email.

Forwarded to resident and tenants by the committee of the Constantia Hills Neighbourhood Watch.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Nothing came in after my appeal for items earlier so I am going to plug the donations aspect again.

RUNNING GEAR DONATIONS NEEDED

Journey Trails is in need of running gear for the work that it does in the less privileged communities. I will try and send out more info later on the work they do but Douglas Rossouw and Barry Washkansky et al have been involved in these projects for a number of years.

If you have old or new running equipment (shoes, clothes etc) lying around that you know you won’t use and you would like to donate it to a very worthy cause, you can bring it along to any of the acsis VOB trail runs or Celtics, CRAG or MATES trail runs and we will ensure that the stuff gets to the right people. Don’t be shy. Please tidy up those cupboards and let us have that stuff that really needs to be chucked.

WEDNESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2012

CRAG TRAIL RUN

Leader: Nicholas "Endomondo" Smith (on debut)

Date: Wednesday 26 September 2012

Time: ready to start running at 17h45 sharp

Location: Constantia Corner, Back Table

Route description: From the Constantia Nek parking area we head up the short stretch of t*r, through the gate, and up the hiking path to the left. When we rejoin the Bridle Path after a shortish but punishing climb, we continue via the vehicle turning area to the start of our ascent of Constantia Corner, the ridge separating Orange Kloof and Cecilia Forest. With Eagle’s Nest on the left we make our way up, uP, UP towards Belle Ombre (725 m). But before reaching that lofty perch we'll follow a faint path off the main one, through some scratchy fynbos and around into Agatha's Gully along an exposed narrow ledge — it's safe but it could cause some anxious moments; there follow some steep scrambles of varying difficulty and exposure, easily manageable for most, but be aware that this part of the route is challenging, and the spectacular views (weather permitting) will be further enhanced by the adrenalin rush. Soon we rejoin the main path and continue to the highest point of the route. Then it's a short downhill and up again to Camel Rock, followed by some easy running through to the De Villiers dam. From the dam we make our way to the concrete road and head back down to the start for a much needed rehydrate. Sunset is at 18h44.

Duration and distance: approx 90 mins, 6 km (or 8, or 4 . . .)

Walkers: Ross Wilson will lead walkers on a BRISK walk, leaving from the same place at the same time, for the same approximate duration. Walkers are advised to bring the appropriate equipment (see below).

Directions: From the M3 (heading south or north), take the M41 Constantia/Hout Bay Main Road and head up to the Nek, or from the Newlands area take the M63 Rhodes Avenue past Kirstenbosch and Cecilia Forest all the way to the Nek. From Hout Bay, just head up the road to the Nek. Park under the pines across the road from the restaurant.

Equipment

— valid Wild Card/Green Card

— headlamp/torch may still be necessary, especially for last 30 mins or so

On Thursday 27th September we meet at Newlands Forest for the run to start at 17h45. We will do the Silvertree Trail Route.

Meet in the parking area at the Parks Board office / helipad / firebase (the parking area is the main parking area off the M3 – 700 metres north of the big M3 / Blue Route intersection with Rhodes Drive / Newlands Avenue, and about 1.2kms south of the southern end of UCT).

The route is undulating as it heads from Newlands Forest initially with a few uphills before linking up with the Silvertree Trail. We head along the Silvertree trail, before eventually cutting down into Kirstenbosch before heading back along the lower rollercoaster route into Newlands Forest.

The distance is about 7,8kms.

Difficulty rating – 7/10.

NB: PLEASE ALL DO YOUR BEST TO STAY IN YOUR GROUPS – MOST PARTICULARLY DO NOT RUN AHEAD OF YOUR GROUP LEADER. If you are new to the runs and unsure of the pace of the various groups, then rather run with a slower group initially.

·Table Mountain Trailers – No run this weekend as Peter is on sabbatical.

·VIVOBAREFOOOT MATROOSBERG TRAIL CHALLENGE

THE VIVOBAREFOOT MATROOSBERG TRAIL CHALLENGE is happening on Saturday 29 September 2012. This is the very first running of the event which previously had to be postponed due to extreme conditions. If you want to be part of this fantastic inaugural event then you can still enter online (http://www.entrytickets.co.za/eventview/matroosberg) but you’ll need to hurry because online entries close early next week.

The next in the series of TSiBA Eden – New Balance wine farm runs will be held on Saturday 29 September at Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Stellenbosch, at 8h00. Please see below flyer for further details, and directions/map beneath.

SUNDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2012

·SAUCONY JOURNEY TRAILS / MATES TRAIL RUN

Not sure if there is a run this weekend as I think they are playing an away game at the Vivobarefoot Matroosberg Trail Challenge.

But if you want to get an idea of the excitement you can be in for on a MATES Sunday Trail run under normal circumstances, check out the route they did this last weekend. Obviously this is just part of the route but it was a lot of fun:

·Paarl/Wellington Section of the Mountain Club of South Africa2nd Annual P/W MCSA fun Trail Run

Exciting new trail on the slopes of Klein Drakenstein Kop, Paarl area. A fun event hosted by the P/W Section, start and finish at the Section’s base camp, the River House, on Olive Glen Farm, Klein Drakenstein.

The 5km route follows a scenic figure-of-8 hiking trail, 35% on farm tracks and 65% on single tracks. Ascent 250m. The 8km route, does an extra loop at the top, ascent 500m, 18% on farm tracks and 82% on single tracks.

The ever popular BCA Trail Challenge is back for the second year running in its new format!

The Mountain and Trail Enthusiasts (MATES) in partnership with the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area are organising the ‘BCA Mates Trail Challenge’ running event in the Blaauwberg Conservation Area(BCA) on Saturday 13 October 2012. The BCA is one of over 30 natural areas managed by the City of Cape Town.

There will be a short run (about 8 km) and a long run (about 15 km) over the two hills and through the BCA. The route is very easy and ideal as an entry level run into trail running for the whole family. Lots of spot prizes have been donated, with a special memento for all finishers.

You can pay by EFT. R100 per entrant for the 15 km run and R50 for the 8 km run, deposit the fee into the following bank account with your name or email address as reference :

Name: MATES Account: 62124952921 Bank: FNB Branch: 201309 (St Georges mall) Type: Cheque Registration confirmations will occur from 06:00 and the race will start at 07:00. The short race will start just after the long race at 07:15.

One is encouraged to register online with the form below, to minimize the hassle at the start and to secure your entry:

The event will be a trail run, meaning that unlike a road race, there will be no marshals along the way. A medic will be on duty at the start/finish and a sweep will run with the last people on the trail. There will only be one water point. Basic gear required would include a windbreaker and a bottle or bladder.

Directions from Cape Town: From the N1 take the N7 heading north towards Malmesbury. Just past the weigh bridge on the N7 turn left into Morningstar. Continue down this road until you see the entrance to Morningstar and turn left into Zonnekus Road. Continue on down the gravel road. Please adhere to the speed limit of 30km/h. Right at the end of the gravel road you will find a green palisade gate. We will have our staff man this gate on the day of the event. Once through the gate turn right and follow the gravel track over the railway line down to the boom gate at Blaauwberg Hill. Parking is on the right before the boom gate.

This is a ‘green’ event and participants are requested to refrain from littering when running. Car-pooling is also strongly encouraged. There will be security provided for parked cars during the event.

One of the organisers, the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area, is a non-profit organisation made up of volunteers protecting the BCA. The proceeds of the race will go to the BCA, which is only 25 kilometres from the centre of Cape Town and regarded as a global biodiversity hot spot. It is approximately 2 000 hectares in size and has a rich mosaic of natural, cultural and historical elements. Being so close to Cape Town also means that the area has the potential to become an open-air classroom. The race is sure to be a wonderful way to explore this beautiful area.

There will be two emails today; one with the acsis VOB Saturday Trail Run details and then one with all the other great runs. I will pause between the two so that if there is anyone who wants to put anything on the Trail Shop (or to repeat anything that has been on before), they have time to send me the details.

RUNNING GEAR DONATIONS NEEDED

Journey Trails is in need of running gear for the work that it does in the less privileged communities. I will try and send out more info later on the work they do but Douglas Rossouw and Barry Washkansky et al have been involved in these projects for a number of years.

If you have old or new running equipment (shoes, clothes etc) lying around that you know you won’t use and you would like to donate it to a very worthy cause, you can bring it along to any of the acsis VOB trail runs or Celtics, CRAG or MATES trail runs and we will ensure that the stuff gets to the right people. Don’t be shy. Please tidy up those cupboards and let us have that stuff that really needs to be chucked.

As the Rhino Run was forced to change venues at the last minute and runners missed out on Tokai Forest we thought we’d go and have a little look around the forest anyway to try and make up for it. But I believe that the Groot Constantia venue ended up being great anyway. So well done to Claire Ashworth and co for putting on a great show once again.

Start Time and Place

06h30 start at the Arboretum car park in Tokai Forest. How do you get there? Assuming you are coming down the M3 (Blue Route) from Cape Town, you go over Edinburgh Drive (part of M3) down the long hill towards Constantia (Constantia sports complex off to your right) and keep going down the M3 until you see the Tokai Road off-ramp on your left. Take that off-ramp. At the traffic lights turn right into Tokai Road. Follow it all the way up to the small traffic circle. Straight across the traffic circle and you will now have Steenberg Golf Course on your left and Forest Glade residential estate on your right. Keep going straight into the forest (ignoring Swaanzwyk Road going off to your left) and the road becomes increasingly narrow and rough. Over a little bridge and you come to a t-junction with the Tokai Manor House straight in front of you (haunted, by all accounts). Turn left and follow a rough gravel road for a few hundred metres into a car park which will probably be full of mountain bikers already. That’s where we will start from.

Route

From the car park we will head off to the right towards the zig-zags otherwise known as The Bridle Path. Up to the top and then over to the tar road which goes up towards the Mast. We will follow it for a short way but then branch off onto the contour path that heads across the Tokai face of Constantiaberg to Level 5 extension. From there we will climb up to the next contour and follow this across to where it meets with the Elephants Eye Path. Those looking for a short route can then take the Elephants Eye path straight back down to the car park (about 10/11km in total). But the idea will be to take the path up into Silvermine and run down the Steenberg Ridge to the mountain biker car park and then head down the tar road for a short way to join up Level 5 again. From there we will meander back down to the car park.

Distance

Somewhere between 15 and 20km although there is that shorter option mentioned above.

Running Time

3 – 3.5 hours

Difficulty

Technically this is not a difficult run but there is quite a lot of climbing……………………ahem….cough…..cough………………. J

Important Notes

1.As Douglas Rossouw quite correctly pointed out last week, winter is over in theory only. This is an extremely unpredictable time of year and we need to be prepared for any sudden cold onslaught as we have on two occasions recently after starting out in fairly benign conditions. On the combined run with AAC we got caught in a sudden NW storm at the top of Diagonal Route and there were one or two runners who were hopelessly unprepared for what happened. Then on the MATES run this last weekend, we have just got to the top of Spilhaus Ridge / Buttress (which involved some extremely undignified rock scrambling on my part – I had to get that in before Douglas says anything – fortunately no-one captured it on camera but there was laughter, cheering and applause…..not the nice kind) when, once again, all hell broke loose. The rain was coming sideways and the temperature dropped to 4 degrees (even without the wind-chill). Even though we were well prepared for it (well…. Taryn had forgotten her raincoat down in her car……………………hahahaha………okay, I had told her it wasn’t going to rain) it was still pretty wild stuff and resulted in the run being cut short. PLEASE BRING YOUR WINTER RUNNING GEAR WITH YOU AND WE CAN MAKE A CALL AT THE START.

2.For some of this run we are going to be running in mountain biker territory. Please be alert to their presence and be prepared to get out of their way in a hurry. It’s much easier for us to avoid them than the other way around. And please be courteous. We have had a few heated verbal exchanges in the past and it is completely unnecessary. Remember that there are mountain bikers running with us too.

3.If it’s a warm day, we need to start looking out for snakes sunning themselves on the paths. Those running in front, just keep this in mind.

4.Bring water (SANDRA!!!) and energy snacks. Although there should still be lots of water on the mountain.

5.Bring some ICE cold be’erages for the rehydration session afterwards.

6.Please be aware that trail running and related activities are inherently riskier and more dangerous than road running. You are participating in these runs voluntarily and whilst acsis VOB and the individual organisers of the runs take all reasonable precautions to ensure runner safety, it can never be fully guaranteed. To this end, acsis VOB and the organisers personally cannot be held liable for claims relating to injuries, disabilities and deaths, inter alia, that may occur during these events. You are participating entirely at your own risk. Please ensure that you are medically fit to be participating and make sure that you are properly kitted out for each particular run so as not to place yourself at undue risk.

******************** Nedbank Limited Reg No 1951/000009/06. The following link displays the names of the Nedbank Board of Directors and Company Secretary. [ http://www.nedbank.co.za/terms/DirectorsNedbank.htm ] This email is confidential and is intended for the addressee only. The following link will take you to Nedbank's legal notice. [ http://www.nedbank.co.za/terms/EmailDisclaimer.htm ] ********************

Friday, September 21, 2012

Here is a re-run of the Wednesday email (with a few embellishments). As promised therein, normal emails will recommence next week:

Saturday morning 22 September 2012:

THE RHINO RUN

It is pre-entry only so you’re either in or you’re not. But you can still come and shake the pom-poms. To allow for full support of this race, acsis VOB will not be holding a separate run on the morning. Please come along and support the event.

Please bring rain gear and some warmth unfortunately the weather is not looking like clear skies. There are no water points along the route.

Special Note About Parking

Official Parking will be in the parking area at the High Constantia Shopping Centre (where Greens and Pastis are). This is located at the intersection of Constantia Main Road (the road that goes up to Constantia Nek and over to Hout Bay) and the road that turns off it to go to Groot Constantia, cunningly named Groot Constantia Road. For your entertainment and delight, I will be a parking marshal along with a whole host of MATES dignitaries (such as the CEO and Douglas Rossouw) and Celtics’ very own Beau Brummell of trail running, Reid Bremner (who will be doing his best rhino impressions), inter alia. Please note:

·that this is a relatively small car park and your co-operation is requested in trying to get as many cars in as possible in an orderly fashion and as quickly as possible. So be nice to us or there may be violence. Remember that we will have been there from 04h45 so we may be a little grumpy. If we end up in a fight, please come and join us for an ICE cold beer in the car park after the run to make up (PS bring your own);

·that you have about 1 km to walk / jog to get from there to the registration point. It’s a nice little warm-up but please allow yourself sufficient time;

·there are no toilet or water facilities at the car park so if you’re busting when you are parking, you’re going to have to knyp until you get to the registration area and this will test how fast you can run 1km.

Sunday 23 September 2012:

SAUCONY MATES / JOURNEY TRAILS TRAIL RUN

MATES are doing a superb run which I will definitely be attending. It covers a certain area where I got horribly lost on my own a short while ago and I am very keen to see how Mike O fares in navigating this area around Wynberg Caves ……… (no-one’s allowed to help him).

“Mike has been doing some research, and he is now 100% sure about how to do the Hole in the Wall.

Where: Constantia Nek. Across the circle from the Restaurant.

When: Has anybody noticed how early the sun rises these days? So we will start at 06H30. Pity about poor Elvera who has to come from far, but then again she didn’t come last week anyway. Neither did Kevin. Ha ha!

What: Weather appropriate kit, Don’t be fooled by the summerness of last weekend. There are still a couple of gales floating around the Antarctic Ocean, looking for poorly clad trail runners to dump on. Water to drink – not so much, but do bring some. And ICE cold beer for afterwards.

Route: Straight as an arrow up to Waterbayliffs Hut, unerringly through the Hole in the Wall, accurately to the concrete road, precisely around the Aqueduct, and veraciously back home. Mike’s leading.

Duration: About 3 hours. Mike’s estimate.

Distance: 12-ish? Kms. Maybe 15-ish?”

Monday 24 September 2012 (Public Holiday)

I know I was threatening to do a run on Monday morning but as both Saturday and Sunday are early mornings I think I will sleep in. I will most likely do a 10 -15km run in Newlands Forest / Kirstenbosch on Monday evening if anyone is keen. Starting at 16h30 at the Newlands Forestry Station on Union Avenue (M3). Please RSVP to me (0823210299 / timbe@boe.co.za) if you intend running.

NEXT WEEKEND

There are two big events on next weekend which we wish to draw your attention to as they need a little planning and preparation:

Saturday 29 September 2012

THE VIVOBAREFOOT MATROOSBERG TRAIL CHALLENGE is happening on Saturday 29 September 2012. This is the very first running of the event which previously had to be postponed due to extreme conditions. If you want to be part of this fantastic inaugural event then you can still enter online (http://www.entrytickets.co.za/eventview/matroosberg) but you’ll need to hurry because online entries close early next week. You can, however, enter on the day.

Paarl/Wellington Section of the Mountain Club of South Africa2nd Annual P/W MCSA fun Trail Run

Exciting new trail on the slopes of Klein Drakenstein Kop, Paarl area. A fun event hosted by the P/W Section, start and finish at the Section’s base camp, the River House, on Olive Glen Farm, Klein Drakenstein.

The 5km route follows a scenic figure-of-8 hiking trail, 35% on farm tracks and 65% on single tracks. Ascent 250m. The 8km route, does an extra loop at the top, ascent 500m, 18% on farm tracks and 82% on single tracks.

See flyer attached.

TRAIL SHOP

Jolandi Holzthausen is reluctantly needing to sell her Berg and Beach entry (6 / 7 October in Hermanus). The person can contact me via email on jolandiholtzhausen@gmail.com

3.James Robertson is also injured and unable to run the Otter (Retto). So he also has an entry for the run which he is looking to sell. There is an R800 substitution fee so he is happy to knock that off the price. If you are interested, please contact James Robertson on 0836808882 or jamesrobertson1967@gmail.com .

A friend of Ashleigh Bird is selling a pair of trail shoes: Montrail Badrock ladies UK 5.5 trail runners, just out of the box, twice worn and in excellent condition, selling as not enough over-pronation support. To view specs, www.montrail.com. R600 neg Contact Genneth – 0832331831.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

I am back. Yay! So prepare yourselves for those long, anaesthetising emails once more.

We will recommence the full detail emails next week. In the meantime, here is a summary of what is happening in the near future:

Tomorrow (Thursday) 20 September 2012:

The Celtics group will be running the Deer Park route. It starts at 17h45 sharp and is about 9km long (not to be under-estimated though). The start is at the Kloof Nek car park in front of the SANParks Info Centre. Excellent run with pace groups to suit all paces.

Saturday morning 22 September 2012:

Sees the running of the Rhino Run. It is pre-entry only (as far as I am aware) so you’re either in or you’re not. But to allow for full support of this race, acsis VOB will not be holding a run. Please come along and support the event. I will be marshalling (I think) which probably means I will be sitting in the car park drinking ICE cold beer. Full details (of the event, not the beer) on Friday.

Sunday 23 September 2012:

MATES are doing a superb run which I will definitely be attending. It covers a certain area where I got horribly lost on my own a short while ago and I am very keen to see how Mike O fares in navigating this area around Wynberg Caves ……… (no-one’s allowed to help him).

“Mike has been doing some research, and he is now 100% sure about how to do the Hole in the Wall.

Where: Constantia Nek. Across the circle from the Restaurant.

When: Has anybody noticed how early the sun rises these days? So we will start at 06H30. Pity about poor Elvera who has to come from far, but then again she didn’t come last week anyway. Neither did Kevin. Ha ha!

What: Weather appropriate kit, Don’t be fooled by the summerness of last weekend. There are still a couple of gales floating around the Antarctic Ocean, looking for poorly clad trail runners to dump on. Water to drink – not so much, but do bring some. And ICE cold beer for afterwards.

Route: Straight as an arrow up to Waterbayliffs Hut, unerringly through the Hole in the Wall, accurately to the concrete road, precisely around the Aquaduct, and veraciously back home. Mike’s leading.

Duration: About 3 hours. Mike’s estimate.

Distance: 12-ish? Kms. Maybe 15-ish?”

Monday 24 September 2012

I know I was threatening to do a run on Monday morning but as both Saturday and Sunday are early mornings I think I will sleep in. I will most likely do a 10 -15km run in Newlands Forest / Kirstenbosch on Monday evening if anyone is keen. Starting at 16h30 at the Newlands Forestry Station on Union Avenue (M3). Please RSVP to me (0823210299 / timbe@boe.co.za) if you intend running.

THE MONDAY HILL SESSIONS ARE BACK

Due to highly unpopular demand, and the upcoming 3 Peaks Challenge and Retto etc, we will be starting our Hill Training Sessions on Monday evenings after work, commencing on 1 October 2012. Unlike it’s road running cousin, which involves sprinting up shortish hills and jogging back down and then repeating until blacks spots swim before your eyes or you throw up or both, this evil mutation of the concept involves running and walking as hard as you can up to the top of a mountain, resting briefly and then doing a nightmarish sprint back down again, feverishly trying to stay on your feet. Sandra regularly uses a word that best describes how you feel during and after one of these sessions. For those of you who know her you will know that I can’t repeat it in an email.

The first session will be up and down Devils Peak on Monday 1 October 2012. Starting from the little parking area on Tafelberg Road below The Saddle. It is about 3.5km past the Lower Cable Station. Start Time: for now, let’s look at trying to start at 17h15 or as close to that as possible. Again, please rsvp for this so we know if there is anyone we are waiting for before we start. In the weeks following it we will alternate with Platteklip Gorge, India-Venster and Lions Head. All runs start on Tafelberg Road (different points though) and until further notice, all start times will be ±17h15.

APPEAL FOR A RUN LEADER SATURDAY 6 OCTOBER 2012

On 5 / 6 / 7 October I will be attending my annual weekend of golfing disgrace at Fancourt, otherwise known as The Corporate Cup Finals. Anyone keen to lead a group on this Saturday in my absence? Drop me an email / sms / phone call.

TRAIL SHOP

1.Jolandi Holzthausen is reluctantly needing to sell her Berg and Beach entry (6 / 7 October in Hermanus). The person can contact me via email on jolandiholtzhausen@gmail.com

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Table Mountain Watch

Once again we are experiencing multiple attacks in various areas around the Table Mountain range.

Please checkout Table Mountain Watch to keep up to date with incidents and hot-spots, as well as advice about how to stay safe, primarily: avoid running alone, try run in groups of at least four people and go at the pace of the slowest person.